Time: 145 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence
Cast:
Owen Teague as Noa
Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar
Peter Macon as Raka
Freya Allan as Mae
William H. Macy as Trevathan
Director: Wes Ball

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows on from the success of the Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy in the 2010s. I really wasn’t sure how good it would turn out to be, but I was curious about it. While it does have some issues, I thought it was quite good.

Generally, I was invested in the story and this world. With its new place in the timeline, it goes in some bold directions and has some interesting ideas. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also does well at building on from the prior three movies. This is especially with the core themes, and how Caesar is perceived and how his legacy, image and words are used. You definitely feel the 2.5 hour runtime; I appreciate that the movie is generally patient with its pacing, but it can go overboard sometimes, and it particularly meanders in the second act. Also, this movie definitely feels like the first part of a much larger story. The most interesting parts happen towards the end of the film and I felt like certain aspects could’ve had more attention, such as everything involving Caesar’s legacy. Still, it had me intrigued to see where the story goes next.

The acting is solid. Owen Teague is good in the lead role, not quite as compelling as Caesar but he makes for a decent enough protagonist for this new series. Freya Allan is also good as the lead human. The connection between these two went in directions I wasn’t expecting, which will likely be interesting for future installments. Peter Macon is also great in his screentime. Kevin Durand plays the main villain and was the standout performance, very intimidating and a great screen presence. I just wish that he was in the movie more.

It is very well directed by Wes Ball, it is definitely worth watching on the big screen. I really liked the blend of visual effects and on location sets, it all feels very real and on such a large scale. The environments and landscapes are stunning and the visual effects are outstanding. As expected, the apes look absolutely incredible, not to mention excellently conveying the emotions expressed from the actors.

While it meanders a little and is perhaps the weakest of the reboot Apes series, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is really good, well directed with incredible visuals, an intriguing enough story, and solid performances. I am interested to see where the following movies will go next.